The man who built the tower, and for whom it was named, came to this country in pursuit of his American dream.

Through the hospitality industry and, later, steak sauce and vodka, he found it and — thanks to his success, and subsequent desire for a retreat outside of Hartford — hikers to this day can enjoy their own view of what those dreams netted.

Constructed a century ago for the German-born Gilbert F. Heublein, co-founder of a successful food and beverage import outfit, Heublein Tower stands sentinel over the city of Hartford and its westerly suburbs. Its perch atop Talcott Mountain near the Simsbury-Avon-Bloomfield town lines makes the six-story, 165-foot-tall structure visible from miles around. But the view of the tower from below holds nothing on the sweeping vistas a 1.25-mile hike of varied terrain surrounding the tower as part of Talcott Mountain State Park yields.

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